Lake Superior State University's annual List of Banished Words is out. Since 1976, the university has compiled a list of the most overused, misused and generally useless words in the English language, garnering press for their college & thrilling logophiles everywhere.

Here are this 2011's most terrible words:

-Amazing-Baby Bump-Shared Sacrifice-Occupy-Blowback-Man Cave-The New Normal-Pet Parent-Win The Future-Trickeration-Ginormous-Thank You In Advance

In confectioners' terms, a dragée is a delicious type of candy used to decorate baked goods.Dragées used to contain mercury (early in the 20th century), so they were incredibly dangerous. Now, though, they're yummy, sparkling, decadent & elegant-- what better pet name for my wonderful readers?

1 Set measurable goals. Instead of resolving to eat healthier, try eating at least 4 servings of veggies each day. If you're able to see the improvements, you'll be more confident in your ability to stick with your resolutions.

2 Make your resolutions challenging, but keep-able. Giving yourself a challenge pushes you to become an even better you. Having attainable goals means your goals are likelier to be met.

3 Make sure your resolutions are YOUR resolutions. Don't pledge to lose weight just because your self-conscious aunt says you should. Don't promise to cut down on watching TV if it makes you happy & you lead a productive life. Do be sure to make resolutions that will impact your life positively-- forget others' ideas of what makes a good resolution.

How can you let yourself fall when you're terrified of getting hurt? I can't explain it, even though I've been in love. I've fallen. Hard. Scared beyond words, I've fallen in love.

Alexz Johnson's latest single, Skipping Stone is about exactly this. Of the song, she writes, "I wanted to try and capture the intimacy, pain and realness that often accompany being in love. If a heart were to get broken, there's a tendency to move forward pretending we weren't really hurt that bad after all. I think it takes incredible courage to let yourself fall. If you have, this song is for you".

Lady Gaga promised an extra-special gift to her Little Monsters- a new song. She exclaimed "I love you all so much, you're the greatest gift to me".

Of the song, she tweeted "I wrote it in Minnesota after the Monster Ball on the tour bus" & "We recorded it in one shot. Fernando on guitar, Paul on Drum Machine. I wrote, sang it, and freestyled the last minute + a half of the song".

The Huffington Post describes Gaga as a "raw, hyper-sexualized Santa Claus, slinking down the chimney to mingle with the flames of your yule log". What a delicious description!

RebeccaEsther.com is a blogazine for fabulous women who don't always play by society's rules when it comes to how they act, think or dress. A reader of this blogazine is a lady with class, sass & a great wardrobe. She's as comfortable reading Cosmo as she is reading Psychology Today. She's smart enough to appreciate intellectual convos but enjoys 'chick flicks', nail polish & sugary confections just as much.

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